Thomaz Soares da Silva, also known as Zizinho (Portuguese pronunciation: [ziˈzĩɲu]; 14 September 1921 – 8 February 2002), was a Brazilian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder for the Brazil national football team.^[9][10] He came to international prominence at the 1950 World Cup, where he scored two goals. He was lauded as a complete player, with an array of offensive skills such as his dribbling, passing, and shooting ability with both feet, as well as his accuracy from dead ball situations and extraordinary vision. He was Pelé's idol,^[7] and is often considered one of the best Brazilian men's footballers of the pre-Pelé era.

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Zizinho

Zizinho in 1951
Personal information
Full name	Thomaz Soares da Silva
Date of birth	(1921-09-14)14 September 1921
Place of birth	São Gonçalo, Brazil
Date of death	8 February 2002(2002-02-08) (aged 80)
Place of death	Niterói, Brazil
Height	1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1939–1950	Flamengo[2]	172	(88)
1950–1957	Bangu[3]	147	(65)
1957–1960	São Paulo[4]	35	(19)
1959	→ São Bento de Marília (loan)[5][6]	9	(2)
1960	Uberaba Sport Club	10	(1)
1961	Audax Italiano[7]	16	(3)
Total		389	(178)
International career
1942–1957[8]	Brazil	53	(30)
Managerial career
1960	Bangu
1965–1966	Bangu
1967	Vasco da Gama
1972	Vasco da Gama
1980	Bangu
Medal record Men's Football Representing  Brazil FIFA World Cup Runner-up 1950 Brazil South American Championship Winner 1949 Brazil Runner-up 1945 Chile Runner-up 1946 Argentina Runner-up 1953 Peru Runner-up 1957 Peru 1942 Uruguay
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

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Born at Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, he played for Flamengo, Bangu, São Paulo FC, Audax Italiano of Chile among others teams. He is considered the first idol of Flamengo, club that he defended - winning the state championships in 1942, 1943 and 1944 - until he was transferred just before the start of 1950 World Cup to Bangu. In São Paulo he won the state championship in 1957 being extremely important and becoming an idol.

In the 1950 World Cup he helped Brazil to progress to the final, but their surprise 2–1 defeat to Uruguay tarnished his reputation. Zizinho played a total of 53 times for his national team, scoring 30 goals. He turned down last minute invitations by the CBF to join first the 1954 World Cup Squad and then the 1958 squad, citing on both occasions that it would be unfair on the player being dropped at the last minute to make way for him.

Pelé always said that Zizinho was the best player he ever saw. "He was a complete player. He played in midfield, in attack, he scored goals, he could mark, head and cross."^[11]